"You should say vexed, not 'mad,'" corrected her mother; and the children rode on to the next cottage.
When Mrs. Le Bras saw them coming, she came out of the door, and down the steps, to shake hands with Ruth, and tell her she was glad to see her.
"And now, my dears," said Mrs. Le Bras, "you had better go right in out of the hot sun, for it is getting to be a very warm day. You will find some lemonade in the dining-room. You can play in the parlor or dining-room, or you can go up in Johnny's or Sue's room. I am busy in my room painting this morning; but by and by, when I get through for to-day, I will call you in to see how far I have got with my picture."
"What are you painting?" inquired Johnny, wheeling his bicycle up against the end of the veranda.
"I am painting that pretty little bay across from here, with the fishing and sail boats anchored in it, and the blue hills behind, and the sky with the gulls overhead. I think I will make your father a birthday present of the sketch if I can get it done in time: you know his birthday comes the fifteenth of August."
"Oh! I 'most forgot!" said Sue. "I must be thinking what I will get for him."
"And I too," said Johnny. "He likes something we make better than any thing we can buy. If I can get a piece of nice wood, I will whittle a paper-cutter of my own design, and get mother to show me how to paint something on it."
Mrs. Le Bras took Ruth's hand, and led her into the house, talking to her very pleasantly. She inquired about her uncle and aunt, and asked her how she liked living by the sea. Ruth replied in an intelligent, lady-like manner, although a little bashfully.
Johnny took the dog-cart to the barn, and told Oliver he would unharness the pony. But Oliver said he would see to it, as he was not busy.
"So Felix went off with Jack Billings fishing?" said Johnny.